I . want . to . believe...

...that there are new ideas in fashion. Honest to goodness, real, brand spankin' new ideas.

But then I flip through the ads in my newest issue of Vogue and feel instantly deflated. Here's what I see:

(1) New Burberry ad (which is gorgeous looking). Wow, that Fall 08 dress looks strangely similar to...


...the 3.1 Philip Lim Spring/Summer 08 dress (which is on sale now at Net-a-Porter)...


(2) Dolce and Gabbana (another gorg. ad campaign). But hey, that girl in the middle - where have I seen her outfit before?


...oh, right. Prada, SS 08...




This is not unlike when Marc Jacobs unveiled the Manhattan bags (which I love) for Louis Vuitton. The Manhattan GM is simply his Venetia bag in LV canvas:


I do realize that when you're designing RTW, there's a certain limit to what can be done. But is it too much to ask that designers not rip each other off in back-to-back seasons?

At least when things stay the same, it's easier on the wallet!